The most Style-ish brands of 2025

0:18Hello, we're back again with the final Friday episode of the year. If you're new here, welcome. Where you been? Yeah, where you been? Where you at? If you're new here, no, that's okay. If you're new here, I'm Madison Sullivan Thorpe, one of your co-hosts, joined by my other fabulous co-host, Rhiannon Joyce. As you may know by now, this is the corner of Stylish where we focus on brand, campaigns and career stories. And today is our final episode of the year. Well, we're doing things a little differently for our final episode, aren't we, Mads? Yeah, we don't like playing by the rules. Just ask word of the week.

0:55It's never been a single word ever. So you want to know what my word of the week is? Yeah. It's accessories. Accessories. So one word, but I'm going to set it up with multiple words to follow. There it is. There it is. No, I recently listened to a podcast by business fashion reporter Diana Pearl. It is the business fashion podcast, The Debrief, which I've recommended quite a few times on Stylish. It's why is everyone obsessed with accessories? It is kind of old. maybe about five weeks old, but it's a really, really easily digestible episode. I love it because it covers the rise of accessories trending amongst Gen Z, how they're turning to accessories to really personalize their minimalist outfits as well, because the minimalist trend isn't going anywhere, but they're turning to accessories as a way to, you know, create a unique personal style.

1:43They also touch on the rise of Lububus, which we'll be talking about today as well in 2025 as a trend. And the fact that it might not stick around next year and, you know it might not be the go-to accessory but the bag charms trend isn't really going anywhere it's just going to be evolved it's really really good yeah I feel like accessories as a whole has really leveled up I feel like it's like tassels on keychains it's you know the beaded necklaces it's shell necklaces like there's a real resurgence which as a minimalist jewelry lover I'm like I've got hives I don't know how to dabble in this trend but I know that it's an easy way without having to update how you dress or what you wear or what's in your wardrobe it's just a little like micro accessories, which I feel like I can play in.

2:23Yes. I have always had an affinity with accessories. I always try and find really unique pieces when I travel. I've got these gorgeous earrings that I always talk about on this podcast and on socials from Paris. And sorry, I cannot remember the name of the store for the life of me, but that's super helpful for the listeners. So, so not helpful, but I get so many compliments on these earrings. I love layering necklaces. I love, love accessories as a way to really, you know, elevate your outfit, but also really show off that personal style. Shout out to Zara McDonald in the Shameless Media office as well.

2:53She's one of the best in the business when it comes to accessorizing. Yeah, I would agree with that. I also think sunglasses get a bad rap. They are an accessory in and of themselves. And maybe that's where I play the most. Yeah. I also think bring back the sunglass chain. Maybe that's our KK present for each other. Some sunglass chains. It's like cool, chic ones. Yeah. I think the bigger, the better on a chain. Agreed. As you said, we're doing this last episode of the year a little bit differently. We thought, God, how do we like kind of wrap up all of the things that have happened in brand and in campaign and with founders.

3:22And we thought, why not delve into the brilliant and maybe some not so brilliant campaigns, brand launches and brand founders that we're looking at who are making waves and really, you know, stamping their footprint on the industry. So today we're doing a special awards episode to decide the most stylish brands of 2025. Guys, if you've listened to previous episodes, you'll know that Mads and I are very intrigued by all things brand and marketing. It is really why we get behind the mic on this fortnightly Friday episode to talk about all of that. And all the finalists we selected for the awards are campaigns, brands, and founders that we, the stylish team, have had many on-air and off-air combos about.

4:01So a lot of these will be familiar to you, which is great, but you know, we love involving you guys. So we took these finalists over to you on our IG stories to help us choose the winners. I love when the community gets involved. Absolutely. Now, something worth noting is we don't actually know who the winners are. We don't. And our senior producer, Kate, has put the winners for each category into an envelope. Rhi and I have two envelopes each, which we are about to open up. So we're going to find out at the same time as you guys find out. So the only category we didn't put to you guys is the one to watch.

4:33Mads and I love to make a prediction. So we'll be revealing at the end of the episode, which brand we're expecting big things from in 2026 and why we think they're going to be the hottest thing. I feel like that amazing creator that probably like surged like two or three years ago where she's like, these are my PR predictions for Kim Kardashian. Yep. Girlboss town. Girlboss town. Yes. She's a great, great creator to follow. Yeah. She always gets it right as well. Did we just do a bonus swap? Yeah. Awesome. Okay. Next, we're going to dive into the results, but that will be right after a word from today's sponsor.

5:09Okay lucky me I get to do our first award it is for the best campaign of the year now while Ray and I did get to shortlist the best campaigns we did not get to pick you guys have voted this is the vote of the people. Okay for best campaign of the year we've got four campaigns up for nomination the first was Burberry the Burberry fish and chip shop the second was Jacquemus pays tribute to his mother's handbag. Third, Reformation official boyfriend, which featured Pete Davidson. And the final, and my personal favourite, Duolingo killing off its owl. All right, Mads, tell us about Burberry to start.

5:42This campaign was pretty iconic. This was the Burberry fish and chip shop campaign. It featured, I would say, the UK's crown jewel. Crème de la crème. Yeah. Olivia Colman and Lucky Blue Smith and it launched in October 2025. This was quintessentially British and I think Burberry kind of lost its way for a little while and it has come back so hard and so strong for its British roots. It was the perfect blend of British humour heritage. It really cut through. I saw a lot of campaign analysis on this. I did see a lot of discourse as well from people saying they didn't like the campaign. I loved it because I thought, as you said Mads, quintessential Burberry, the nod to the, you know, classic fish and chip shop set up in the UK.

6:26I loved it. I thought it was so good. Mushy peas. Can we get through an episode without you doing an accent? No, apparently not. Also, apparently I've picked up doing sound effects too because we don't have to. I actually love your sound effects. I feel they really add to the experience. I don't know what that was for, but I still loved it. The next one and this brand name will haunt me for the rest of my days because I think it's as much as when we said Versace, Versace, Versace, is Giacomo, who paid tribute to his late mother with the launch of his handbag that was also named after her. And this was the Valerie handbag.

7:01Now, this campaign, I felt like I saw everywhere. In true Giacomo style was equal parts chic and elevated, but also I would say their formula is like 15 % silly and fun. 15 % silly and fun very playful it also featured Charlotte Le Bon who was an absolute stunner and I again I think with Shark Moose and I don't want to cannibalize any of the content that's coming up but I just feel they are always on the mark there's not a campaign that they do that doesn't cut through to me yeah and also what I loved about this was the story behind the handbag was so beautiful and could have very easily been quite soppy because it is a nod to his late mother who he has spoken at length about, you know, being an incredible influence and the reason that he started his brand in the first place.

7:51But instead he lent into this real playfulness and, you know, we've got Charlotte creating these like really funny faces in the mirror and like grabbing the handbag and kicking her legs up on the bed. I just loved everything about this. He's the ultimate storyteller. Ultimate storyteller. Third campaign was one that I know you had a real affinity for. I did. I really, really liked this campaign. It was the Reformation official boyfriend campaign that ran in Feb 2025. It did star Pete Davidson. Again, another campaign that I feel just hits the headlines, but also created a lot of discourse. And when I'm evaluating how powerful a campaign is, I'm looking beyond the headlines that they're paying for or the earned media and looking at what is the actual conversation that is playing out on socials.

8:36And I loved this one. I also think Pete Davidson, it was a bit of like a comeback vibe for him. Yeah. And Reformation are really good at tapping into people who were culturally in the zeitgeist. Yeah. Say zeitgeist again. Word of the year. If we did a word of the year, it would be zeitgeist. Honestly, zeitgeist or it'd be say with your chest, all two things can be true. Yeah. Also, I just think anytime you're putting Pete Davidson in anything, it's going to work. I love him. I love him. He's like, yeah, maybe he's like in my top five. Also just a bit of a playful tone, like the nod to the fact that he's always got a girlfriend.

9:08Always got a girlfriend. Okay. And the lucky last. Rae, I feel like you have to intro this because you brought this when you co-hosted with us on the Wednesday ep of Stylish. I think this was one of my first episodes that I filled in on the Wednesday episode of Stylish, but I was obsessed when Duolingo killed off the owl. I think you and I actually had to be quite self-aware in that because at one point I know like we've always got the time on in the studio and I think I looked at you at one point and thought we've been talking about this owl it was like 20 minutes character owl for like 19 minutes I think my notes for the episode were honestly Lucy our head of podcast had to be like you need to cut these down I was like well this is a whole episode in of itself and she's like well we don't have that much time and I was like so obsessed with it also the fact that they killed Dua the owl by the Tesla Cybertruck that little detail just it was so such a great meme obviously he's such a social media phenomenon and I just thought it was so funny and such a great way and also all in-house low budget really really well done all right do you want to drum roll as I open roll how many of these do I have to do I don't know but I like sound effects so just keep why don't we get them to put in proper sound effects do you want me to pre-record them Kate's like guys give me a break it's the last week before Christmas the winner is okay I'm stressed The Duolingo!

10:32Oh my God, that makes me so happy. I don't know why I feel like I just won. I had nothing to do with that campaign, but I was so passionate about it. Who do you want to thank? I'd like to thank the listeners for supporting my obsession with Duolingo and thank you so much for aligning with what I wanted. Okay, why do you think they're voted for this? I think it was the most creative. I also think it did have the biggest cultural moment throughout the year. I just, it was just honestly a great campaign. Everyone loves this owl. Can I play devil's advocate as well? There's something about a brand that shouldn't be cool or culturally relevant, but coming that way, that feels really like, you know what?

11:16Hell yeah. Hell yeah. It's like when Doritos had that, I would like, get your hands off my mama and get your hands off my Doritos. But I was like, I love that campaign. Could be one of my favourites ever. I find any meme-led campaign that garners that level of media attention is worthy of this award. Yeah, 1000%. And even just like the celebrity responses, the fact that you've got Dua Lipa, like replying to the death of this like made up owl. Brilliant. Amazing. I'm really happy with the first one, guys. Thank you so much for voting with me. I really appreciate it. Okay, moving on to the biggest brand flop of the year.

11:49Now, when we were prepping for this episode, it was really interesting. We were kind of going back and forth on whether or not we include this because we're Like, oh, is it a bit mean? Is it a bit off on the tone? But I do think it's important that we acknowledge some campaigns don't hit. It's not personal in the sense that we feel like anyone was personally victimized by these campaigns. Yeah, this isn't a Mean Girls Burn book. No. It's also okay that a brand can be great and a campaign can not be. Exactly. And I think sometimes that's confused. We're not here to neg these brands. Some of these brands are great.

12:16Ultimately, we decided to do this because we were like, we can't just sit here and give out roses. What I want to preface by saying is great brands can have a swing and a miss. Yes. They can have campaigns that just don't land and don't work. It doesn't mean the brand's shit. We're not here to neg them. But sometimes they just miss the mark. And some are worse than others. I'm actually furious about the first one being included. It was a hit for me. But again, this is very subjective. So the first campaign that was included is the Kylie Cosmetics King Kylie Rebamp. We did speak about this on our Wednesday episode a few weeks back in a headline segment.

12:49I, guys, I didn't think this was a flop. I know why you don't think this is a flop, if I may. because I do spend a lot of time inside the brain of Rihanna Joyce. I think it's because they had EMV results out of this. Yeah. For those of you who don't know, EMV stands for earned media value. I think this was a flop because it felt like it was reaching to be celebrating a 10 year anniversary with such a throwback. Yeah, fair enough. I think the idea that it was tapping into nostalgia when it was only 10 years old could be up for debate. For those of you that don't remember, it was the King Kylie revamp that took place in October.

13:23Kylie Jenner announced the return of her iconic lip kits from the 2016 King Kylie era. It was nostalgia driven. I thought it did land because I felt that it did garner a lot of earned media attention. There was a lot of discourse online. But as we discussed on that episode, whether or not it was long enough between the two campaigns or the iterations of Kylie's eras. And also, does this actually reflect Kylie's current era? Does it feel disingenuous? Yeah, and does it reflect where the brand and the new product development has been? I would argue no, which is why I concluded it. We're keeping it in the KarJenner family, aren't we, Rae?

13:57Because the next one. We are. So Skim's Nike collab. So this year, Kim Kardashian partnered with Nike. I would argue that this was supposed to be a pretty monumental moment. I would argue that this should have been a recipe for success. It had all the ingredients to have impact. They're two cultural giants colliding. It just didn't seem to hit beyond the headlines. And I know that social media buzz and press and clippings are one part of brand, right? Like that's not everything. My observation in my algorithm was I saw more media coverage of All's Fair, the Hulu TV show she did, than I did of Nike Skims.

14:32I feel like I saw two days worth and then it was gone. I haven't seen it in store. I haven't really seen it online. I haven't seen people unboxing it, wearing it. All of the formula that I would usually see for any Car Jenner launch. I think the runway from announcement of launch to product being available was too long. I totally agree. I also think it was funny. I know she did a sit down interview with Complex and spoke about bringing out a shoe. It actually surprised me that they didn't start there, to be honest, because Nike are known for like the shoe drops and sneaker culture. I kind of thought it might have started there.

15:02It also didn't feel particularly innovative to me. It does look a lot like the existing skim products. I didn't really see the Nike branding come through. so for me in terms of that brand visibility it didn't feel quite strong for Nike. Yeah I totally agree and the third one when I said some brands are great but they have a swing and a miss this one I would say is kind of a campaign and a branding one and it is Rinny the children's skincare brand that was developed by Shay Mitchell. We had Zara McDonald co-founder of Shameless Media guest host on the podcast episode that we spoke about this on the Wednesday air.

15:35But safe to say, I think all three of us probably said jury's in. This is absolute miss on their part. Like five-year-olds don't need self-care. Shane Mitchell is the founder of Rennie, who was made famous from Pretty Little Liars, but then created base brand luggage, now has started Rennie and really focused on this children's positioning. And I'm not even talking Gen Z in this or Gen A. We're kind of talking whatever generation comes after Gen A. I don't even know if they have a name yet. But we all kind of synonymously agreed it was absolutely off the mark. Off the mark, unnecessary, really unclear need.

16:12And I always treat these sort of campaigns with skepticism when people come out saying that it's about improving children's relationship with skincare. Those children at that age should not have a relationship with skincare, period. Yeah. So for me, I met that entire campaign with skepticism. It felt unnecessary. It definitely felt like a cash grab and a way for, you know, Rini to cement itself growing up with their audience. Yeah. And their intention is to start introducing them to products at such an early age that then they grow and evolve with that demographic and establish themselves as the preferred skincare provider.

16:48You know, all my thoughts. Oh, so off. Okay. And to finish, taking us back earlier in 2025, H &M's AI Digital Twins announcement. So I don't know if you remember this, Mads, because it was quite a while ago, but they announced that they were going to start using AI generated models. It was very tech led. And the idea was that it would become more of a cost efficient strategy, but also ensure that they could access high profile talent. So the models that they worked with, they did shoot the imagery with them, but then used AI as a way to change the imagery, the locations and get more longevity out of those images.

17:21It's definitely garnered a lot of criticism. Oh, yeah. What did you think about this at the time? I felt like it was people selling the salt of the devil and models in particular. I totally understand it's a big check at the moment, probably for them, but it just felt like you are losing the right to your image. Your IP. Yeah. And look, they've made a decision with the information they have now, but I think with the rapid speed of AI and the way that that tech can be used, there's nothing to say that H &M won't be using their likeness in different ways or new innovative ways, on catwalks, in video campaigns.

17:58Like that check might be alluring now, but I do wonder, you know, what is that worth in the long run? Yeah. And the use of AI is not just limited to H &M. There are a number of brands this year that have started incorporating AI functions in the fashion industry, including Nike, Gucci, Zara, H &M, as I touched on, Valentino and Levi. So they've all used AI for everything from personalized styling to forecasting, to creating marketing visuals. It's obviously cemented in the fashion industry. It's not going anywhere. My prediction for next year, if you'll let me, is that AI will be accepted wholeheartedly in the fashion industry.

18:31I don't think it's going away. I think we're just going to see this trend more and more. Yeah. Does that mean it's right? I don't know. Well, I mean, I guess we'll wait and find out. We'll wait and see. Okay. Time to reveal. Drum roll. Drum roll, please. Biggest flop of 2025 as voted. Oh my God, she can't open the I'm trying to fill the gap. As voted by you. Can I guess? Yeah. Is it Rini? Of course. Perfect segue for me here, Rhiannon. So as I said, we didn't have any visibility over the answers, but senior podcast producer Kate has just literally slacked us in real time to give us some of the responses.

19:13So some of the responses in the survey were, I didn't see one positive thing reported about it, have not seen anything relevant from them since launch. Just such a miss. a purposeful gap in the market and very tone deaf responses from brand and ambassadors slash defenders. Yeah, it's always really interesting getting the community to share the why behind their votes as well. One of our listeners said this was reported on in the mainstream media more, therefore more publicity would indicate the bigger the flop. I agree. Hard agree on that. Say it with your chest. Comment to number four. I really want to make some time for this lengthy response from one of our listeners, a brand that wasn't needed and unethical.

19:52If they did any market research, they would have known the backlash Sephora and other brands had on tween craze, let alone targeting even younger consumers. I appreciate mums are the target customer to purchase for kids, but just not a game of products needed for kids. Will kids seriously sit for five minutes with a mask on? I mean, not the kids I know. We're in a bit of an echo chamber there because that's exactly how I feel about this brand. Yeah. And I think safe to say in an echo chamber with many friends because Rini actually won as the biggest flop of the year at 72 % of survey results. So the vast majority are great.

20:26Next, I will be telling you all about who took out founder of the year, but that will be right after a word from today's sponsor. If anyone's looking for us this summer, you'll find us outside with the four pillars gin and tonic in hand. This is our idea of the ultimate summer cocktail, and it goes like this. Fill your glass with lots of ice then pour in Four Pillars signature rare dried gin which is distilled with whole fresh oranges and nine other special botanicals. Top it off with a good quality tonic. It makes all the difference in a G &T. Finally do away with the lemon and lime and garnish with a zesty wedge of orange instead.

21:03The world's best gin comes from here in Australia. This summer enjoy a Four Pillars G &T with orange. Thank you so much to Four Pillars for making this episode of Stylish possible. Okay, it was the year of the founder, if you ask me. So it only feels right that we have nominated for founders of the year. It felt like there's never been a better time to be front facing and brand facing as a founder than this year. Rhi, what's your observation been of the founder space this year? I think women have seen a real shift towards conversations around whether or not the founder first approach is sustainable long-term.

21:46We've had a lot of conversations around, you know, showing your brand journey, putting yourself front and center. Does that add value to your brand or does it detract from it? I would argue that it absolutely does. A lot of the nominees that we've included in this survey are incredibly successful. Their involvement, their passion, their ability to show up and be front facing for their brands has absolutely done wonders and translates to dollars. Does it translate to peace of mind? Probably not, because unfortunately, as we've learned this year, that a lot of female founders are undermined and constantly challenged and criticised by the general public, but also mostly women, which is a little disappointing.

22:23I know. It kind of feels like as well, the higher they climb the ladder, the more people there are willing to kick it at the bottom to try and knock them off. But we're hearing a positive sentiment to talk about four incredible female founders. The first one is Emma Greed. Now, if you are not across Emma, I feel like we've spoken about her. We've swapped her in. She is an absolute powerhouse. If you haven't listened to her podcast, Aspire, I strongly recommend you do. Emma is behind Skims. She is, of course, co-founder alongside Kim Kardashian, Good American alongside Khloe Kardashian, Off Season, the new sports apparel brand that she created in collaboration with an incredible woman who is married to an NFL footballer and was creating vintage jackets.

23:05And of course, this year launched her podcast, Aspire. She's also working on a book. Honestly, I do not know how this woman does it. We don't have the same 24 hours. I'm sure of it. Do you know what I've loved about 2025? It does feel like Emma Greed has taken center stage. Historically, she's always taken a bit of a backseat and not really, you know, spoken a lot about her affiliation and how much she spearheaded, particularly Skims and Good American. I feel that they were predominantly Kardashian led through the Kardashian show on Disney+. I'm loving that Emma is taking the center stage because she is seriously, seriously a smart woman.

23:39Yes, you should listen to Aspire Her podcast, but I actually recommend starting with the Diary of a CEO podcast and her episode where Stephen Bartlett interviews Emma Greed. You get her full backstory, her childhood, the full career journey. You get so much nuance into how she thinks and how she operates, but also who she is as a person. Seriously impressive. And I have no doubt that she's media trained, but not one ounce of that interview with Stephen Bartlett came off to me like a media trained person. She seemed incredibly authentic. She said things with her chest. It wasn't always the popular opinion.

24:10I loved the statement that she said that kind of went viral online that was show me a woman who can do everything and I'll show you a liar. Yeah. And I loved that because so often women like her, we're like, they can do it all. How are they? And she was like, I need the nannies. I need the chefs. Sometimes I'm a crap wife. Sometimes I'm a crap boss because I can't do everything all the time. And I just love her authenticity. She has built some incredible brands. I mean, even the fact that Skims had the$3 billion valuation, they've partnered with Nike, even though we called it a flop, the fact they even got that in the first place is pretty goddamn incredible.

24:46No, absolutely. It's incredible. The second founder we featured in this award is Amy Smale, the founder of Odd Muse. So for those of you who don't know, Odd Muse reportedly crossed 20 to 30 million pounds in revenue with no VC funding this year. Insane. That is insane. Claps. They opened their first London flagship, cementing offline retail credibility. We know that bricks and mortars are back. We've spoken a lot about this and how it's become a bit of a sanctuary and a space to connect with your community. Originally being a DGC brand and now transitioning into that bricks and mortar space is super exciting.